Electric cigar-lighter.



D. E. SHEA.

ELEGTRIG OIGAR LIGHTER. APPLICATION FILED 001217, 1910.

029,723, Y Patented "June 18, 1912.

AME.

. v l INVENTOR, wlTNr-:ssEs lyvw@ M BY col-UMIJIA PLANOURAPH Co..WASHINGTON. D. c.

ATTO R N EY rnviTnn STATES ,PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID E. SHEA, 0F WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO DREW S.TINSMAN, 0F WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC cierra-LIGHTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 18, 1912.

Application led October 17, 1910.' Serial No. 587,569.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID E. SHEA, a citizen of the` United States,residing at VilIiamSpOrt, in Vthe county of Lycoming and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Electric Cigar-Lighter, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to improvements in cigar lighters, and itsobject is to provide a compact portable cigar lighter operable bycurrent as ordinarily supplied from street mains, so that all that isnecessary to install the cigar lighter is to introduce a plug furnishedwith the lighter in an ordinary terminal socket of ani installed system.i

In accordance with the present invention,. the device is of compact andunobtrusive form, having a low center of gravity, so as toresistupsetting, and is provided with a reservoir for a volatile fluid, suchas alcohol, and with a torch mechanism adapted to the reservoir andhaving parts of electrically conducting material capable of carrying asupply o-f the volatile fluid, of which alcohol maybe taken as typical,so that the carrier may be utilized as a bridging means for completingan electric circuit at terminals on the device in a manner to cause vtheproduction of a spark when the alcohol carrier is moved away from suchterminals, whereby the alcohol is ignited and a cigar Vmay be readilylighted from the flame so produced.

The linvent-ion will be best understood from a consideration of thefollowing detailed description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings forming a part of this specification, with the understanding,however, that while the showing of the drawings is of an operativestructure, the invention is by no means confined to the exact structureshown, but vtheernbodiment of the invention may be in different forms solong as the salient fea-tures are retained.

In the drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of the cigar lighter. Fig. 2 isa central section therethrough. Fig. 3 is aplan view of the cigarlighter.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a shell 1 constituting thebody member of the device, and this shell may have any ornamentalconlig'uration whichthe aesthetic tastes of the designer may dictate. Inthe showing of the drawings, the shell 1 is of approximately bell shapewhich provides an expanded base, and within such base portion there islodged a bottom member 2, which latter may be made of met-al, thoughthis 1s not mandatory, but if the'bottoni 2 is of metalv its weightmaterially contributes to the steadiness of the device, since the centerof gravity of the structure is thereby brought very low. In order thatthe structure may cling more or less firmly to any surface upon which itis placed, and at the same time offer no injury to such surface, thereare provided feet 3 of some soft material, such as soft rubber. The endof the shell or casing remote from the bottom member 2 is contractedinto a neck 4 open at the end and surrounding this neck is a sleeve 5 ofinsulating material, such as hard rubber or vulcanized fiber, the shell1 being usually made of metal. The sleeve 5 is secured to the shell 1 bya screw 6 or otherwise. At one side the sleeve 5 is cut away as shown at7, and lodged in this cut away portion are the like ends of two strips 8of conducting material, such as brass, these strips being in spacedparallel relation and to an extent elastic at the free ends.

Within the shell 1 and preferably arranged axially thereto is a tubularmember 9 having one end 1() closed and engaging the bottom member 2 towhich it is fastened by a screw 1-1. The other, and when the device isin normal operative position, the upper end of the reservoir 9 is formedwith an expanding flange 12 bent at the edge into overlapping andembracing relation to outer end of the sleeve 5, las indicated at 13,the

portion of the flange 12 adjacentthe tubular portion of the reservoir 9forming a funnel for a purpose which will presently appear. Adapted tothe reservoir is a stem 14 having at one end a knob 15 so shaped as torest within the funnel portion of the flange 12, while the end of thestem 14 remote from the knob 15 is formed with or into a helix 16immediately surrounding the stem for a distance back from its extremeend. The length ofthe stem 14 is such that when the knob. 15 is restingin the funnel portion of the flange 12, the helix 16 is closed to theend 10 of the reservoir 9, and since in practiceV the end 10 constitutesthe lower end of the reservoir, the helix 16 when within the reservoiris close to the bottom thereof, so that it will be immersed in avolatile liquid der posited in the reservoir to a suitable depth,

thereby from the reservoir.

such liquid being customarily alcohol, although any other suitableliquid may be used.

lVithin the shell 1 is a sleeve 17 of porcelain orv other suitablerefractory insulating material provided about its exterior with agroove, `in which is lodged a coil 18 of resistance wire. The sleeve 17is in enveloping relation to the outer walls of the reservoir 9 and mayrest on the bottom member 2.

There is provided an ordinary coupling plug 19, such as used inelectrical systems, such Vplug being adapted to any ordinary wall orbracket socket commonly employed in house installations as terminals ofthe ordinary electric power circuits provided for buildings and coupledto the street mains. This plug 'has attached thereto a flexibleconductor cord 20 having two conductors 21, 22, and this flexibleconductor cord enters the shell 1 throughan insulating bushing 23 lodgedin one side of the shell. Within the shell Vthe conductor 21 iscarriedto and through an opening 24 so located that the conductor` K isreadily passed through said opening and` vconnected to one of thebrushes 8 by means of a screw 25 which may also serve to fasten thecorresponding brush to the sleeve 5. The lother conductor 22 is carriedto one end of the coil 18, while the other end of this coil` isconnected to a conductor 26 extending through the opening 24 andconnected to the other brush 8.

When it is desired to use the cigar lighter, a suitable quantity ofalcohol is deposited in the reservoir 9 and the plug 19 is introducedint-0 a suitable terminal socket of the power circuit installed in thebuilding where the cigar lighter Vis to be used. When a person desiresto use the device, the stem 14; is withdrawn from the reservoir 9 bygrasping the knob 15 and lifting the stem from said 'reservoir, anysurplus alcohol being returned to the reservoir by the funnel portion ofthe flange 12. Because of capillary attraction,

a certain amount of alcohol adheres to the convolutions of the helix 16,and is carried Now the helix 16 is placed in bridging relation to thebrushes 8 and by a movement in the direction of the length of thesebrushes the helix is finally carried away from the ends thereof, thusfirst completing the circuit and then rupturing the same. The current iskept down to a workable quantity by the re- 't-we'en the brushes V8 andthe helix 16 of sufi-` cientintensity to ignite the alcohol carried`thereby, so that there is thus produced a llame from which the cigarmay 'be readily lighted. On the return of the helix into the reservoirthe flame is extinguished in the same manner as occurs in ordinary cigarlighters.

The device is of very compact form wit-h practically no liability ofbeing upset and may be readily moved from place to place Without dangerto polished surfaces or to the glass tops of show cases, and may be putin service by connection with ordinary power circuits, thus avoidingthe"use of batteries or other such,unreliable sources of current, theentire structure with the exception of the plug, and conducting cordbeing readily grasped in one hand and occupies a minimum of space,'being little if any larger than an ordinary table match holder, whileall the working parts with the exception of the plug, conducting'cord,terminals 8 and the knob for the torch are inclosed in the shell 1. Thewhole structure -is also susceptible of ornamental conguration.

What is claimed is 1. A cigar lighter comprising a body member, areservoir for ignitible liquid therein, a carrier for ignitible liquidnormally housed in the reservo-ir, exposed circuit terminals on the bodymember, a resistance also housed in the body member in surroundinrelation to the reservoir, and electric con uctors including theresistance and connected to the exposed circuit terminals and adapted tobe included in a commercial power circuit, the resistance beingsutlicient to cut down the power current to permit short circuiting ofexposed circuit terminals.

2. A cigar lighter comprising an outer shell terminating at one end in aneck, an insulating sleeve on said neck, spaced cou` tact brushescarried by the neck, a reservoir also carried by the neck and extendinginto the body member, a torch adapted to said reservoir, and having atone end a handle accessible at the open end of the reservoir, anotherinsulating sleeve within the body member in surrounding relation to thereservoir, a coil of resistance wire on said second named sleeve, adouble conducting cord at one end entering the body member, oneconductor of the cord being carried through the body member andconnected to one of the terminals carried by said body member and theother conductor ofthe cord being connected to one end of the resistancecoil and the other end of the resistance coil being connected to theother terminal carried by the body member.

8. A cigar lighter having a body portion with an expanded base, areservoir axially disposed therein, a bottom member for the expandedbase, to which bottom member the corresponding portion of the reservoiris secured, a resistance coilin encirclingrelation to the reservoir andhaving itsconvolutions in inductive relation, spaced brushes carried Intestimony, that I claim the foregoing by the body member exteriorthereto, atoreh as my own, I have hereto affixed my signal0 having aconducting end capable of oarryture in the presence of tWo Witnesses.

ing liquid and adapted to be inserted in the reservoir, and conductorsat one end leading DAVID E' SHEA' to the terminal brushes of the bodymember, Witnesses: one of said conductors being connected to a HENRY C.PARSONS, terminal member through the resistance coil. C. A. SCHUG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

